Without Suffering
by thegigglingbookworm
Summary: "In hindsight, maybe it wasn't the wisest decision to threaten the life of the King of Camelot, especially when trying to prove that all magic was not evil. In fact it was downright stupid and reckless and completely negating the purpose. Especially now that the other knights in the room had drawn their swords and weren't looking too happy." Reveal fic!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – This was supposed to be a oneshot but thanks to the invasion of plot bunnies in my head, this has turned into something much more. I've not written for quite a while so I'm quite excited to start this one. **  
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And I suppose I should say that I don't own Merlin, if I did, Season 5 would certainly never have ended like that.**  
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So without further ado…**

**Chapter 1 – A Peaceful Hunt**

It wasn't that Merlin didn't like it when things went his way. In fact he loved it when everything went smoothly and as expected, with no one getting hurt and no tragedies befalling anyone. Unfortunately Merlin knew he just wasn't that lucky. If fate could throw something unwelcome towards him, chances were that it was already on its way.

That was why Merlin found himself on edge, sitting even more cautiously on his horse, as he trudged behind the rest of the company on their way back home. Every twig that snapped under the many hooves only caused him to jump more. Something that did not go unnoticed.

"Cheer up Merlin! I'm sure you saved more than we managed to catch." Gwaine laughed as he fell back to let Merlin catch up. "Even the princess isn't too grumpy for once."

It was true. Arthur was indeed happy with how successful their hunt was and at the thought of how well stocked their reserves for the coming winter would now be. And why shouldn't the King of Camelot be happy. They had completed a successful hunt without any problems. Not a single problem. Not even a smidge. And that was precisely why Merlin was worried.

"It shouldn't have been this easy." Merlin muttered, more to himself than Gwaine, as he focused ahead.

As if sensing his manservant's stare, Arthur turned slightly, "What on earth are you complaining about now Merlin? Did you get a splash of mud on your petticoat?"

"Don't you think this was too easy? That it is too quiet. We should have run into some trouble at some point, some bandits or…something." As he finished Merlin realised that maybe it would have been better to keep quiet and not give Arthur more ammunition against him.

"Correct me if I'm wrong Merlin, but you're complaining that there are no bandits for you to hide behind a tree from, whilst the rest of us save your sorry backside."

Merlin's eyes narrowed as he decided for now at least it would be best to ignore his King's comments and focus on the lack of danger surrounding them.

"When have any of our hunts been so easy? Hmm? I just have a funny feeling."

"Don't be such a girl, Merlin! Besides before you came along, this is exactly how our hunts used to be." Ignoring his manservant's prattling voice was proving to be much harder than his own small doubt over the smoothness of their hunt. But he couldn't admit that to Merlin. "And I don't want to hear any more about your silly feelings. If it makes you feel any better, I'll have Gwaine over here pick you up some nice pretty flowers ok."

"I'm serious, what if ther-"

"MER-lin" This time the King could not stop his frustration from seeping into his voice.

"What?"

"Shut up!"

Not wanting Arthur to ever have the last word, Merlin opened his mouth to retort when an arrow came flying from his right, just barely missing his head.

The shout of "Bandits!" was unnecessary as the first few arrows had been enough to warn the knights. By the time the next assault of arrows had started, the knights were ready. Years of training had prepared them well for these types of situations. (After all the knights of Camelot weren't known for their ability to whip their hair, well maybe one was. )

Wishing he could have been wrong just this one time – although he would never miss a chance to prove Arthur wrong – Merlin fumbled off his horse. Narrowly missing another arrow as he searched for Arthur, finding the blonde haired royal fighting with three bandits.

Hoping no one sees the tell-tale gold in his eyes, Merlin whispered a spell and smiled as he saw one of the three bandits fall unconscious. No doubt the King would put it down to his own might. Before he could take another one out with more words from the Old Religion, a thug appeared in front of him brandishing a sword in his hand and an ugly smirk twisted on his face.

"For-", the first syllable was all Merlin could choke out as the thug landed a hefty blow to his chest, with enough strength to knock him to the ground. Merlin twisted painfully to the side as a heavy boot missed its target, and fell angrily against the dirt. Merlin didn't have to see the sword come swinging down to realise he was in trouble if he didn't do something quick. Within seconds the sword came crashing down, only stopping inches from his face, embedded in the branch Merlin had managed to find. Furious at having missed his target again, the thug raised his arm once more.

Merlin saw the hate flashing in the thug's eyes- but suddenly it changed to shock mirroring his own surprise to see the tip of a sword poking out of the thug's chest as a pool of blood started flowing from the fatal wound.

The body fell to the floor, bringing up dirt, as Merlin took a second to realise that it was Arthur who had helped him.

"Get up from the ground Merlin, wouldn't want to get dirt in your pretty hair now would you." Arthur smirked, offering his manservant a hand.

"You think I'm pretty?" Merlin couldn't resist a fast quip, even if this wasn't the time for jesting. His big smile wasn't missed by Arthur.

"Oh, so you're happy now are you Merlin?"

"Over the moon actually."

"How is it that even after all this time, you cannot fight one little man? I have just managed to knock a man unconscious with barely a touch."

Grinning at the unhidden smugness in Arthur's voice, Merlin replied "Smell your dirty socks, did he?"

"Go find a tree!"

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**A/N – Hope you enjoyed reading it. Please pay some attention to the review box too. :)**

**Let me know your thoughts! I know it's only the first chapter but I hope I got the relationship between Arthur and Merlin right, their bromance was definitely one of my favourite things in the show.**


	2. Chapter 2

Update: 14/01 – So I have edited the many mistakes I found. And actually it doesn't read off as bad I thought it had.

**A/N: Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Caledi had been keeping watch over the mercenaries with some of her best men for the better part of the day. Though unsure of their reason for lingering so near to her camp, she knew that no one under Morgana's camp would bear anything but ill intent to those that opposed them. She couldn't understand why there were here, in this part of the forest of all places. They weren't even doing anything, no camp had been set up, and they were just sitting about. She could only assume they were waiting for something or someone.

As if on cue, the men now seemed more alert, their eyes locking onto movement just east of their group. Something had caught their attentions. Straining her eyes in the same direction, Caledi too could make out the shapes of a few men atop horses.

An Ambush!

This had to be an ambush set up for the men trotting on their horses, unaware of the danger they were heading into. But why would Morgana send so many men to capture so few. Who was so important, or dangerous even, that Morgana would order so many of her now dwindling number of servants to capture these men.

They weren't mere men though; Caledi could tell that from the way these men were fighting. Probably knights, quiet likely due to how much armour was glinting in the setting sun.

Even outnumbered as they were, they had already managed to defeat a great deal more of their assailants than many in their stead would have. But she knew their upper hand would not last long. Even if she couldn't figure out who they were, and whether or not she should help them, Caledi felt the cowardice of the attack left her no choice. She had to help them. Signalling to her own men, they made their way down to the clearing where most of the fighting was now taking place.

Merlin had watched quietly for once, as the battle finished, with no doubt in his mind that it would have ended very different if the new group of people hadn't arrived in time to help them. The King and his few knights, skilled warriors as they were, may have eventually succumbed to the never ending onslaught of the mercenaries.

They had been taken completely by surprise. He had been in arguing with Arthur over one thing or another, when he or rather his magic sensed something was off. But before he could warn Arthur off any potential danger, they had been attacked with arrows flying first, followed by an overwhelming number of men charging towards them.

At first Merlin did what he could to maintain some sort of balance between the strength and skill of Camelot's men against their attackers, while still keeping an eye on Arthur and making sure he was still alive. But as the assault continued, Merlin has been finding it harder and harder to protect the King, especially as many of their assailants seemed to have made it their personal mission to be the one to take down the royal, known across the kingdoms for his skill in battle. The king had proved no less, often becoming encircled by as many as eight attackers and still emerging without any threatening injuries.

Though Merlin certainly wasn't looking forward to repairing the dents in Arthur's armour, or straightening the chainmail after the many hits it had taken.

The fight which has started in the forest had then moved to a clearing, further from the cover of trees from which branches could have conveniently fallen at opportune moments. There were also but a few roots that Merlin could upturn to their attacker's disadvantage. (Of course if Merlin had been free to use his magic, none of this would have been a problem. But since when was he so lucky?)

But hiding his eyes and sticking to the shadows had become more of a problem , well nearly impossible, as their assailants had somehow managed to herd himself, the King and the Knights who had not fallen, into a small circle penned in by the mercenaries. They were surrounded by too many, weapons challenging them from all angles. The King may be able to hold his own in unfavourable fights, but even he could not take on this many with only seven of his men.

Arthur couldn't. But Merlin could.

It might not come down to it. After all they could be taken and help for ransom. Or... they could be killed right now. That was not a risk he could take, Merlin would have to step in.

Though there would be no way for him to hide his magic. But what point was there in keeping his magic a secret, if he failed to protect Arthur? Even though a part of him feared the reaction of his friends, Merlin knew what he had to do. Because when it came down to it, his life was nothing in comparison, not really. If it ever came to it, he would give his life gladly for his King, for his friend.

As he began the spell, ready to use the instance anyone took a step towards them; he felt the tremors in the ground before he saw the confusion darting across the faces of the men surrounding him and the knights. Many of them now turning their backs to their captives and breaking their formations, preparing to fight an attack which seemed to be overcoming them from the outside.

"On me!" Arthur had shouted, as he and his knights made quick work of those men that still surrounded them, using their foe's confusion to their own advantage. Merlin even managed to dispatch of quite a few without endangering his secret.

Within what seemed like mere minutes, it was all over. Now it was the bodies of the mercenaries that littered the ground, like fallen leaves in autumn, in their hues, of orange, red and brown.

The men who had arrived stood facing Arthur and his knights, all weapons now lowered as their enemy was destroyed. One of them now stepped forward, lowering their hood to reveal their identity. Merlin wasn't shocked to find that it was a woman who was the leader, well less than Arthur anyway, judging by the royal's face. No, it was more the aura the woman seemed to radiate, suggesting there was more to her than what she appeared to be.

Merlin's suspicions were confirmed as her eyes flashed gold, and she muttered some words, - that very few would recognise but they were not strange to his own ears – stopping a dagger dead in its paths as it had been hurtling towards Arthur.

But as the man who threw the dagger dropped dead, Merlin knew it wasn't Arthur's life he should be worried about in this very moment. It was Arthurs anger he was concerned about, especially now as he saw the change in the King's demeanour at the sudden display of magic.

Arthur, raising his sword, the tone in his voice brimming with mistrust as he shouted, "You're a sorceress!"

Caledi's words had barely taken affect when she saw the man in front of her had taken up his sword once again. There was no doubt who he was. The crest of a gold dragon emblazoned on a cloth of red.

She turned slowly, the gold in her eyes diminishing. The King of Camelot stood with his sword out, pointing too close to her heart for her liking. The repulsion obvious in his eyes, "You're a sorceress!"

"Yes," Her answer was slow and deliberate as she saw the red cloaked knights who, following their King, had too drawn their swords. "One who has just saved your life as well as those of your men's.

Caledi was pleased to see, on at least one face, the look of hesitation at her words, and maybe even doubt at the turn their situation had taken.

Knowing her own men would match the actions of the knights and would already have taken their stances, Caledi had to get the situation under control.

She raised her hands slowly, not in a threatening way but to placate, "I mean you no harm, and I'll thank you to mean us none in return. So if you wouldn't mind…" she broke off now bringing her own eyes to the offending weapon in the hands of the King, which stood still defiantly as ever. That in turn only caused her own eyes to narrow. "A fine way for the King of Camelot to repay us for our help. Truly honourable."

Maybe it wasn't the best thing, given the current situation, to goad the King, but her own patience was running thin. Not that Caledi ever had a great deal when dealing with noblemen, particularly the royal variety.

The King never broke eye contact, and she also noticed that his stance did not waver. There was no manner of retreat in his eyes. She sighed, knowing what was to come if the King was to advance. Her own men would not hesitate for a second, but nor would the Knights of Camelot.

Why can Pendragons never solve anything amicably? Is their blood really so steeped in vengeance and violence?

**A/N: So … I don't particularly like how this chapter has finished up. I'm not sure it fits with the first chapter (which was supposed to be an unrelated one shot). Feel free to point out any mistakes, I can't bear to read this another time. But I hope you guys enjoyed it!**

**Also was the switching of the P.O.V's okay and hopefully easy to follow?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Firstly, I'm sorry about the time it's taken me to upload this chapter. I was going to upload a chapter last week but it was just over 1000 words and not much happened in it except that they reach Caledi's camp. So I thought it was a bit of a cop out and then decided to combine what I had planned for Chapters 3 and 4 into 3. This is a nice long one (just over 4000 words), definitely pleased at the length but please do let me know if it's too much. **

**How is the tone of the chapter? I was mixing it up a bit. Some serious, some light. Hope it reads well. **

**Is there too much conversation?**

**Am I going into too much detail?**

**Are the P.O.V.'s flowing well?**

**Why have you stopped reading? (hopefully the only answer to this is that you've reached the end.)**

**Also when it is in Arthur/Merlin's P.O.V, Caledi is referred to as 'the woman' as she has not introduced herself to them just yet.**

**And another side not, I know some of you would be wondering how the situation between Arthur and Caledi calmed down, but I may have also slightly copped out on that. But hey I thought if BBC Sherlock can get away with a whole season without revealing how he actually died, I may be forgiven for my mistake. **

**Wow, that was a long note wasn't it. If I haven't put you off already, please enjoy.**

Chapter 3

Growing up, Arthur had taken every word to heart that he had ever been taught about the evils of sorcery and the malice in the hearts of those who practice it. Yes, there had been a few incidents in the past years that would cause him to question these beliefs, but eventually the truth would be revealed and in the end his doubts would wash away. Time and time again, he had seen for himself the effects of magic and suffered for it. Camelot too, had suffered because of it.

Yet here he was, following a sorceress back to her camp, with his men behind him. How Merlin had managed to convince him, Arthur still wasn't sure. For all his faults, Arthur knew that Merlin had these rare moments where he would say something- for lack of a better word- wise. He had been about to fight the woman in front of him, when his servants voice reached him. His reasoning causing Arthur to sheath his sword.

_Merlin was all too familiar with the stance that Arthur had taken. He could tell from the stiffness in the King's shoulders and the way his fingers grasped his sword, Arthur was not going to listen to a single word that came out the woman's mouth. _

"_Arthur, wait," and thankfully the King did, "Think about this, they have helped us. They didn't have to but they did, right? Why would they do so, if they meant us harm? She might be a druid who are usually peaceful ..." His own voice faltered as he realised that the woman's actions, though well intended and for which he was grateful, didn't exactly cohere to a peaceful nature. _

_Arthur had been doubting Merlin as the servant had __began t__o speak, but the mention of the word 'druid' reminded him of his own promise that he made not too long ago_

Thinking about it now, Arthur could grudgingly admit, to himself at least, that attacking the woman could only have ended in dire consequences, maybe not for him, but quite likely for him men. She might have been powerful, but he could have still killed her. Arthur was sure of his skill. But he was also sure that her men, a much greater number than his own, would have taken the lives of his remaining knights in retaliation. At least now Arthur had hope, as little as it was, that maybe he would be able to get medical care for his injured knights, and if need be, they could fight another day.

There would not have been any other way for Arthur to find the care elsewhere, not this far from Camelot anyway. Their own supplies would barely have covered a few men's injuries and would not have been enough for the ones that his men had sustained.

Arthur cleared his head, as he realised the men in front of him had stopped. They must have reached their camp. Arthur stopped too, looking around to see if he could recognise anything, but it was too dark and there seemed to be no telling these trees apart. He had only been standing still for a moment, when someone pushed into him from behind. Hands on his sword, he turned, ready for an attack.

"Sorry, sorry," came a familiar voice.

Merlin! Of course it would be the clumsy oaf who couldn't watch where he was going, not even when they were in a dangerous situation.

"Didn't realise we had stopped." was Merlin's only response to Arthur's glare.

"Only you, Merlin ..." Arthur was about to berate his servant, when he saw Merlin dropping his big eyed, innocent face he had momentarily adopted. Turning back around, Arthur realised that the woman had dispersed her own men and was now addressing his.

"Well, here we are."

If someone had told Caledi, that she would not save the lives of the Knights of Camelot and their King, but also then be bringing them back to her camp to keep them safe from any further danger, she would not just have laughed in their face, Caledi would have had to had their head examined for any mental afflictions. After slapping them upside their head first, of course.

But however the day had ended, Caledi was certainly not going to be playing the gracious host, catering to their every whim and desire. They were only coming to get their injured men seen to and then they would be on their way.

Caledi had seriously considered leading the men of Camelot around in circles before making way to her camp, but it would have taken a toll on her own men, some of who were helping to carry the injured knights between them.

They were nearly there so Caledi began the spells that would allow entrance to the newcomers. As she finished the last spell, Caledi hoped that she wasn't making a mistake by bringing the King of Camelot here, and that she want putting her own people at risk.

Calling up two of her men that were closest to her, Caledi instructed them to go ahead and make the necessary arrangements to accommodate their new guests. She told another to collect the supplies required to treat the injured, who were already being carried in. One by one, her men entered their camp until it was just her left, standing in front of the entrance, facing the knights and their King.

There would be no turning back now. Raising her arms from her sides, Caledi got their attention, "Well, here we are are."

Merlin followed Arthur into the camp as they were led in. They were shortly stopped near some tents, some of which were still being set up. There was also a line of rope strung up on the trees on one side of their tents, it was covered with rags as if to allow some cover for the main camp and keep both parties separate. Merlin could understand the reason behind this, after all if there were other magic users dwelling in the camp, then they surely wouldn't want the King of Camelot as their neighbour. Unfortunately, it would probably make Arthur more suspicious of their rescuers.

Arthur, however, never got the chance to voice any questions, as the woman in front of them started speaking once again.

"These tents have been set up for you. Your injured men have been taken inside and they are being seen to by our healer. You can rest in the remaining tents." She said pointing to the vacant tents, before continuing, this time making sure to keep eye contact with the King, as if to directly speak to him, "I would advise you not to wander too far from here, strangers around these parts can easily get lost and a friendly warning to all; do not come past these rags. We may have brought you here but there will be limits to your reception." She paused as if deciding whether or not to explain herself to the attentive men, "Some of my friends would not be so … comfortable, shall we say, in the presence of a king and his knights. Especially those from Camelot. So do not disturb them and they shall not disturb you."

She stood silent for a moment, allowing her words to sink in before taking her leave, "I'll leave you to get settled."

Once they had been left alone, Arthur rounded up his knights and spoke to them.

"These people may have helped us, but we must remain alert at all times. They have sorcerers and we do not know their true intentions." After warning his knights, Arthur sent some off with jobs to ensure their safety. He called over Merlin too.

"Merlin, I need you to check on the injured knights, I don't trust their healer nor the methods they may be using. I need you to make sure they're safe. We will leave as soon as the others are strong enough to travel."

Merlin left to check on the injured as soon as Arthur finished with his orders for the rest of the knights and deciding who would take over the first watch and how to rotate. As he entered the first tent, where three of the knights had been lain, Merlin immediately felt a warmth wash over him and a sense of protection. So they has used magic. Best not to tell Arthur, he mused to himself. He went over each knight, doing his best to remember everything Gaius had taught him about such injuries.

But Merlin soon realised that his small skill at healing would not be needed as the knights were already making an exceptionally fast recovery and were healing quite well. Clearly their healer was quite adept at his craft, well he was allowed to practice freely within his camp. Merlin was almost envious, as he had often wondered how powerful his own magic could have become and how many spells he could have mastered if he too had had the freedom to be able to practice his magic openly. His envy only lasted a minute as he realised these people were hardly free. They did not even have a proper home and probably had to move too often, as soon as someone found out about their magic.

Shaking his head, Merlin moved to the second tent where the remainder of the injured knights were resting. Here too, Merlin sensed the same magic at work. If the healer was as skilled as he thought, they would not need to stay here more then two nights, or three at the most. Arthur would be pleased at that at least. He was about to exit the tent when he heard one of the knights stirring. Going over to him, Merlin realised it was Gwaine, who was now trying to sit up.

"Careful Gwaine, you took a nasty blow to the head, lost a fair bit of blood too." He warned.

"Really? Doesn't feel much different than waking up after a night at the tavern." The rouge knight laughed, grimacing slightly at the pounding sensation building in his head.

"Ah, you're up."

Merlin turned around in the direction of the voice and saw Arthur entering the tent, making his way over to check on Gwaine.

"So first you decided to take a nap, Gwaine, whilst the rest of us fight and now you are stopping Merlin from attending to the knights that are _actually_ hurt."

Before the knight could answer his king, Merlin stepped in, "Actually, I had just finished checking on all of them Arthur. I had been about to leave when I heard Gwaine wake up."

"And so you thought you would take the rest of the evening off, hmm? Doesn't matter that we're in an enemy camp, with half our men injured. We obviously couldn't have any jobs that need doing?!"

"Well it's not like you brought your dogs with you that need walking, or that I can just clean your stables ..."

"Gentlemen, please," Gwaine interrupted, knowing that these two men could go on forever and he didn't want to add to his headache. "Arthur, what do you mean that we're in an enemy camp?"

"It's hardly an enemy camp." Merlin scoffed, earning himself a dark gaze from his king. But that wasn't enough to stop the conflict in him rising. He really wished Arthur would see and accept this for what it was, good magic that had saved their lives. But he could guess what was going on in the King's head and knew that after everything that had happened, Arthur was suspicious of why a sorceress would help them instead of harm.

Arthur didn't get the chance to say anything as another knight came in with a message and the King left the tent to speak with him outside.

"Care to explain then Merlin, what's got the royal princess so strung up?"

Merlin told Gwaine everything that had happened after the first attack had started. He described it all. How they woman and her group had helped them defeat the mercenaries, and the woman stopped another trying to kill Arthur. Following them back here so that the could get the help they needed as most of the horses had bolted. Their leader, the woman, she provided these tents and she even had her healer attend to the other knights who had been injured during the fight.

Merlin had been hesitant to mention the use of magic, as he never heard Gwaine speak about his thoughts on magic. But it wasn't like the fact that magic has been used would stay hidden. If not Merlin, than someone else was bound to mention it to the knight. Besides it was nice change, to be able to speak about how magic had saved lives for once.

Gwaine had listened silently allowing Merlin, who seemed a little on edge, to tell his tale properly.

"Wow, she sounds like a hell of a woman!"

"Seriously Gwaine, after everything I've just told you, that is all you that have to say."

"Come on Merlin, this woman helped us out of a little problem and offered us a place to stay. She sounds pretty amazing to me. Tell you what though, if she could throw in a few apples for us, she would be the perfect woman."

Merlin just shook his head at Gwaine's antics as he flashed Merlin his trademark smile.

"Alright, you get some rest Gwaine. I'm going to go and see if Arthur need any help."

"I'll come too."

"No, you need to -"

"Merlin, I am fine. Okay. Don't worry about me. Besides there's something quite urgent that I need to do."

"What are you going to do?"

"Oh you know, just need to remind our brave King how he needed his backside to be saved by a woman. Twice!"

Merlin didn't see any point in convincing the knight that this probably wasn't the best thing to. Not right now, at least. But there wasn't much he could do to stop him. So he left the tent to go find Arthur, with Gwaine following behind.

The knight that had entered the tent had informed Arthur that they had been brought food for their company. Two men had arrived with two pots of broth and some bread rolls. Though it wasn't much, Arthur was glad to have something at all, given that they had lost the majority of their supplies during the flight, some of it trampled, but most of it gone when they lost their horses.

The food had been placed around the small fire his knights had started. Arthur moved closer, sitting on one of the few decent sized logs which they had managed to find from their surroundings. Arthur grabbed himself a bowl of hot broth which he started on instantly. He was extremely grateful for what seemed like the first moment he had had to himself since all this trouble started. The silence allowed him to think about everything that had happened and find his own thoughts on it, unclouded by the stress and fatigue from the day.

Arthur did not trust sorcery, of that he was sure. Any good begotten from magic had never lasted nor come without a price. But he could not help the nagging feeling in his heart. Why had the sorceress helped them? They could have left him and his knights to defend themselves. If the sorceress and her men had wanted to cause them harm, they had ample opportunities to do so, but they hadn't. Granted, not all her men had looked happy at escorting the King and his knights to their camp, but they had still done do. They had offered them food and shelter, even after Arthur had threatened them. Arthur didn't know what to make of it all, but he did slightly regret calling this place an enemy camp.

Now that he had satisfied his stomach, Arthur felt a lot better. It was amazing what some hot food can do to you. It had been a stressful day and it certainly hadn't helped his temper. Now, however, Arthur could admit that although he would not call these people their friends, he had began to have serious doubts if they were indeed the enemy. That was enough for today, he would worry about the rest tomorrow.

The injured had been seen to, most of them had eaten, and they were as safe as they could be now given their situation. As the warmth of the food travelled inside him, all Arthur wanted to do was curl up and sleep. It had been a long day and he deserved some rest. Maybe the second bowl of broth had not been the best idea, as now he was struggling to keep his eyes open. Why had he offered to take the first watch!

He had to find Merlin. Why should the servant get to sleep when Arthur had to stay awake. Besides Arthur didn't think they boy had even eaten yet. Nor had Gwaine he supposed. They must be pretty hungry by now, if they hadn't already fallen asleep somewhere. Grabbing two bowls, Arthur began to pour some broth in, making sure to put extra in for Merlin. That boy was far too skinny as it was. Fortunately there was no need for Arthur to leave the warmth of the fire, as the two men who he was preparing the bowls for, were now approaching him.

"That's enough food for a Queen there, let alone a princess." Gwaine smirked as he sat himself down on a log adjacent to Arthur's.

"It wasn't for me, but if you don't want it Gwaine ..." Arthur threatened as he movie closer to the pot as if to pour the contents of the bowl back in.

"Let's not be hasty now, sire." Gwaine took the bowl before the King could make good on his threat.

"Is that one for me? Oh you shouldn't have Arthur." Merlin, with a big smile plastered in his face, joined them taking his own seat on another log.

"Well if we had to wait for you to actually do your job Mer -lin, then nothing would ever get done, would it."

"You seem happier. You've already eaten I take it. You are looking fa-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence Merlin!" It might have been dark but thanks to the fire the red flush on Arthur's face was only too visible.

"What! I wasn't going to call you fa-"

"Merlin!"

"I was only going to say that you are looking fa -irly reasonable … now."

"You know what Mer -lin, you and Gwaine can take the next watch. I am going to sleep!" Arthur had stormed off about three feet away before he heard Gwaine laugh and shout out.

"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you to your tent Arthur?"

"And _why_ would I want that?"

"Well you never know what danger might be lurking between here and your tent, … there might be rabbits waiting behind a bush. It's so dark, the woman from earlier, might not be able to find you in time to save you, again!"

"I did not need a woman to save me! She wasn't even a woman. She was a sorceress!"

"Also known as a woman … with magic."

As Arthur moved back to answer Gwaine in a more physical manner, the knight in question jumped up shouting, "Gotta go, nature calls."

As Gwaine walked towards the trees, he turned and said to Arthur, "By the way, what was this fair woman- sorry sorceress' name? So that I can send her flowers. It's not everyday a girl gets to send the life of a King."

Arthur just glared at Gwaine until the knight was out of sight, before sitting down next to Merlin. Grabbing Gwaine's empty bowl, Arthur filled it up for himself. Well if he couldn't go to sleep, he may as well eat some more.

"Not scared of the dark too, are you?" he said nudging Merlin who had been sat there uncharacteristically quiet during his exchange with Arthur. His servant's reply wasn't what he was expecting.

"We don't even know her name. I mean, she saved yo- our, our lives," Merlin changed his words at the way Arthur's eyes narrowed. "And we don't even know her name."

Merlin hadn't meant to bring up the sorceress until the King was in a better mood and possibly more receptive of a magic user.

"She chose not to give us her name Merlin. What does that tell you about her? Yes, she helped us. But why Merlin? What if she was the one who set the trap, just so she could lure us out here. A part of me does want to thank her what they did, if indeed she isn't evil. But too much has happened … Camelot has been targeted too many times for me to just pass this off as an innocent coincidence." Arthur sighed, draining his bowl, a headache forming at the awareness that he was in contradiction with his earlier thoughts. "Truth be told, I don't know what to think."

"I do not think she means us harm, Arthur. I don't believe her to be evil."

Arthur just smiled sadly at his servant's naivete. He was too trusting for his own good. "What makes you think that then Merlin? Not another one of your funny feelings is it!"

"Yes, one of my feelings." That was all Merlin could say. There was no way for him to explain to Arthur, that when Merlin had felt the woman use her magic, he had not sensed any malice in her. Yes there had been a tinge of darkness in her, but it did not seem to be innate, but rather a product of whatever hardships had befallen her.

Trying to make the situation lighter in the only way Merlin knew, he turned to Arthur, who had just put his bowl down. "So … that is, what your fifth bowl? Surely even you couldn't possibly have room for more, could you Arthur?"

It worked, it got Arthur to smile a little as he visibly relaxed. Perhaps it worked too well, as his comment also earned Merlin a hard push, courtesy of the King, making him fall off his log and land flat in the dirt.

The two men sat a while longer by the fire in their companionable silence, completely unaware of the two eyes which had been set on them for a while.

Caledi watched from a distance and what she saw truly surprised her. While she had expected some form of hostility from the King of Camelot, she was still confused by his actions.

Based on what Arthur had said to his servant it was quite clear that he did not trust her, but yet he wasn't too unsettled by his surroundings. From what she could tell there was only these two men awake, no one else keeping watch.

It was a good thing she has advised her men who had delivered the food to also taste it in front of the knights, so they could see that it was not poisoned or dangerous in any other way.

She would have thought the King would have been alert at all times, especially whilst in her camp, given his stance on magic, but here he was sitting amiably with the company of his servant of all people.

Maybe the rumours she had heard about the King of Camelot had some truth in them. Maybe he was different to his father. Kinder and more just supposedly. But how different he truly was, only time would tell.

Caledi turned around, walking back towards her tent, hoping to get a few hours sleep at least before her inevitable conversation with the King. Hopefully it would go better than their first interaction. Tomorrow would be fun.

The next chapter will definitely be up within a week, but until then here's a little extract.

"_We need to find out where we are. So make yourself useful Merlin."_

"_We're in a forest."_

"_Well done Merlin. Your intelligence astounds me. Now that you've clarified that we are indeed in a forest, why don't you have a look around and see what you can find."_

"_But there are only trees here..."_

_Arthur was doing his best not to let his frustration at his servant show. He took a deep breath before answering, "Yes and that's why we have to distinguish between them."_

_Nodding his head, Merlin tried to look at what he could find out from the trees. "Ok, so we know they are tall … brown branches … green leaves … well that one has darker green, oh no no wait that's because it's in the shad- ow! What did you do that for?" he said rubbing his head where Arthur had just struck him!_

"_It is far too early in the morning, for you to be this stupid Mer -lin!"_

_Merlin moved away from Arthur, her certainly didn't want to accidentally goad the King into hitting him again. Definitely not before breakfast!_

A/N: Hope the chapter was worth it. I know I enjoyed writing it (editing not so much) but I know what I'll enjoy even more, and that's reading your reviews.

Seriously even my mum has started asking me how many reviews I'm getting. So please do leave a review as I want to show her that its worth the effort on my part for paying whatever ransom my brother decides on after he successfully manges to kidnap my writing book. He has done it three times so far in the last ten days, and I have had to buy him three things. Tell me it was worth it.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Merlin woke up, slowly opening one eye as the smallest ray of sunshine entered his tent. He wondered what had woken him, as it was clearly too early to. Even the sun outside had barely greeted the sky. He looked around, frowning at the king's bedroll which was missing a certain blonde haired royal. Grudgingly he got up, putting on his boots, ready to go and look for Arthur. Evidently, even if they're not in Camelot, he would still have to get up unnaturally early, usually due to one or another of Arthur's demands, although indirectly this time.

Emerging from the tent, he could make out the familiar outline of someone moving in the trees just up ahead from where they had been having dinner last night. He followed silently, knowing Arthur wasn't too far away. Passing the pile of firewood, he saw the smoke still rising from the last embers of the fire they had sat by. Merlin couldn't help but wonder how few hours of sleep he had been allowed to have, before having to follow the royal prat. Sighing, he picked up his pace, there was no way he was going to lose Arthur's trail.

Arthur had been woken up by one of his knights in the early hours of the morning, as he had previously requested. He had not wanted to risk being caught unawares again if there was going to be any sign of trouble.

The doubt in his mind, that this could be a trap, was growing, although he still couldn't say if he did trust this woman or not. He would have to seek her out and work out what exactly was going on. Right now, he had to find out where they were, and how far from Camelot they had come. When they had been ambushed, they hadn't been too far form his borders. By his count, they had maybe walked two or three hours to get to this camp. But which direction they had gone in, Arthur didn't know. Still, he would find out what he could. There had to be some sign or clue that would give away their location.

Arthur had gone only a little into the trees, before he heard twigs snapping not too far behind him. Drawing his sword, he wondered who could be following him. He took cover behind a tree, wide enough to hide him, but also allow him to see whoever would soon be coming his way. Listening to all the twigs that were being trampled on, Arthur knew of only one person who could make so much noise. His suspicions were proved correct as he saw his lanky servant push through the trees.

"Merlin, what are you doing?"

Merlin, to his credit, jumped only slightly as Arthur showed himself.

"Me? I was looking for you. What are you doing here at such an ungodly hour?

Sheathing his sword, the king just shook his head at his servant. He should have guessed that Merlin would have followed him. After all, this wasn't the first time. But at least this time, Merlin could be of some help. Two heads are always better than one supposedly. He wondered if the statement could be true when one of the heads belonged to Merlin, and was just full of air, as he sometimes suspected.

"I am trying to find out where we are. Why don't you make yourself useful Merlin, and see if you can find anything that can tell us where we are." Arthur said, turning away from him and scanning the trees again. "It was too dark last night but the daylight should help us."

Merlin stood there, taking a second to process what Arthur wanted from his sleep -addled self.

"So ... we are in a forest."

"Well done Merlin. Your intelligence astounds me. Now that you've clarified that we are indeed in a forest, don't just stand there. Why don't you have a look around and see what you can find. Move!." Arthur than repeated himself, a little slower this time. "We need to find something here, anything that can help us identify where we are."

"But there are only trees here..."

Arthur was doing his best not to let his frustration at his servant show. He took a deep breath before answering, "Yes, and that's why we have to distinguish between them."

Nodding his head, Merlin tried to look at what he could find out from the trees. "Ok, so we know they are tall … brown branches … green leaves … well that one has darker green, oh no no wait that's because it's in the shad- ow! What did you do that for?" he said rubbing his head where Arthur had just struck him!

"It is far too early in the morning, for you to be this stupid Mer -lin!"

"You're just saying that because you haven't had your breakfast yet!"

Arthur came to stand in front of Merlin, placing a hand on his should and said with a sweet smile, "Merlin, just because I may not have any goblets to lob at your head, don't for a minute, think I won't be able to find something here that would be more than adequate to do the job if you don't sh-"

"Shut up?"

"YES"

"OK!"

"Now, Merlin."

"ok.." Merlin whispered, as he moved away from Arthur, he certainly didn't want to accidentally goad the King into hitting him again. Definitely not before breakfast! But he couldn't help but mutter to himself about how likely Arthur could find something to use on him when he couldn't even find what he already been looking for, for so long.

Best to keep quiet for now. After all, he did not want to be the one responsible for the vein in Arthur's head bursting. Knowing his luck, he would probably be the one to have to clean the sorry mess Arthur would leave behind. Even in his death, Merlin could trust his King to make his life a misery.

But Arthur was right about one thing, it was far too early for this. Yet, Merlin moved further, hoping to find something whilst wishing he was elsewhere. He could only think of his own bed, limp and thin as it was, waiting for him to crawl into, when he got back.

Arthur had tried his best to not let his simple minded fool of a servant distract him from the task he had set out to do. He had tried, and failed. And now, not only had they made no progress in finding out how far they were from Camelot, he couldn't even tell how far away from the camp-site they were. He couldn't even guess which direction to head back in. if they got lost, Arthur was most certainly, without a doubt, going to blame his servant for it.

It was all Merlin's fault anyway. He had been the one to swoon at the pretty little lady and then insist they follow her. And apparently the first thought that popped into the idiot's head when he woke up was, "Oh why don't I go find Arthur and annoy him. Not like he could be doing anything important."

If his unwelcome servant had not come trampling Arthur's way, then they king would not have been distracted and he surely would not have lost track of where they were. Of course he could trust his pathetic excuse of his servant to make a bad situation even worse!

They were lost. Merlin knew it. The way Arthur was stalking the same trees over and over again, Merlin suspected that Arthur knew too, or at least would be coming to that conclusion very soon. Knowing it would not be wise to repeat the warning they had been given about not going off on their own, he kept his mouth shut. A 'told you so' was the last thing Arthur would want to hear right now, even if it was itching to get off his own tongue.

Merlin cast his magic, subtly he hoped, as Arthur was too busy grumbling a little away. He could sense some sort of a magical barrier. Maybe this was one of camp's defences. So as not to allow just anyone to find the location of the camp. He could probably use the source of the spell to find their way back. If he did manage to find a direction to lead them in, Merlin hoped that Arthur would follow, despite their earlier interaction. He cast another spell, more powerful this time to momentarily dismantle the magic that he suspected was keeping them out.

Caledi hadn't been able to get to sleep, and not for lack of trying. Every little sound was forcing her to become alert and sit back up. Even after she had checked on everyone in the camp, and doubled the protection spells she had placed around them, Caledi still wasn't fully comfortable.

It was no surprise really, after all it was the King of Camelot and his knights that she had allowed to sleep only a few feet away from herself.

She had heard him to be a man of principle, but with the shaky ground magic puts people on, Caledi could not remove the fear in her heart that she had managed to put her people in danger. Surely the king would not be thinking of any attack against them. Caledi knew he didn't trust her but they had given them food and shelter.

Fortifying the spells that separated her camp from the King's, she felt a little better in the knowledge that no one from either side would be able to cross without her permission. The energy the spells had taken to cast made her very tired and Caledi felt herself falling asleep, with thoughts of the day swimming in her head.

With all the time and trouble it had taken for her to fall asleep, Caledi was quite peeved, to say the least, to have been woken what could have only been too few hours later. But upon realising the reason she awoke, Caledi didn't hesitate a second longer to get up and out of her tent. She had to wake to others and warn them.

Someone was using magic to break into the camp!

From what she could tell, it was very powerful too. Using her own magic, Caledi cast some spells into the earth beneath them in an effort to offer some safety to her people and secure their site for as long as possible. Hoping it was not futile and her spells would hold as long as necessary, she ran off into the direction of the disturbance with the two men she had signalled, flanking her on either side. Drawing on her magic once again, Caledi cast one of her strongest spells that would hopefully disarm their attacker.

Arthur was getting more and more annoyed. They had been trying to find their way back for the better part of an hour and yet they couldn't even find the tracks they had only made five minutes ago. On top of it all, Merlin had decided to go off in the complete opposite direction to him, whilst muttering nonsense to himself. Arthur was sure that Merlin's sole purpose for doing this was just to annoy him! He was about to move further to his left, when he heard a cry of pain, followed by a loud thud.

What had that clumsy idiot done now!

Turning around to where he had seen him moments earlier, Arthur couldn't immediately place Merlin, until he saw a body lying at the bottom of a tree.

"Merlin!"

A/N: Thanks for reading!

Hope you like it. Big thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far. And for those who havent, don't be shy on my account


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: More about Caledi in this chapter, it should show where her loyalties lie. Happy Reading!**

**Chapter 5**

Caledi was running through the forest, avoiding the low branches ready to launch in her face. Different scenarios were running through her head, the most likely of them that Morgana was the one responsible for attacking them, breaking their unspoken truce of leaving each other alone. There was no way Morgana could possibly know of the events that had occurred the night before, that it had been Caledi's group who had defended the King and attacked Morgana's men.

Caledi had been avoiding a confrontation with Morgana. She may not have agreed with the witch's goals, certainly not the methods she had adopted to see them through either. But Caledi had decided, for the safety of her people, she would not confront Morgana. Caledi was under no qualms about her power; she knew she could never be a match for the power of a high priestess. With so much power at her disposal, Caledi wondered why Morgana, if it was her, had stopped her attack as she could no longer sense any magic directed towards them.

Caledi's spell could not have been enough to properly disarm Morgana, surely?

She was about to find out because she was fast approaching the area where the magical attack had originated. When she did, she saw the last person she would have expected to find in the Morgana-less surroundings.

Arthur didn't understand what had happened to Merlin. One minute he was fine, being his usual dithering self, being of no help at all and the next he was sprawled face down at the bottom of the tree. The only clue Arthur had was a loud thudding sound, but surely even Merlin could not be stupid enough to walk into a tree. So loudly too!

Although the way this morning had gone, Arthur would not be surprised if that was exactly what Merlin had done. At least there wasn't any bleeding. Arthur had checked Merlin over, and apart from a nasty bruise forming on his forehead, he knew the boy would be fine. Outwardly at least. He didn't even know much about internal damage. Looking after injured members of their company had been Leon's forte.

What Arthur wouldn't give to have Leon with him now. Maybe he should have brought along his first knight after all. But someone had to stay behind and make sure the new knights did not miss their training. With Percival busy helping Leon, Arthur had told Elyan to stay behind, to make sure Gwen had someone with her at all times.

Thinking about her now, he missed his wife even more. But she had gotten the better side of this deal. He was stuck in a precarious enough situation, whilst lumbered with the company of Merlin and Gwaine of all people. Hopefully his other men would be waking up by now and would soon look for him. If Merlin had managed to find him, it should not be a problem for his knights.

Grimacing at his luck, Arthur wondered how to proceed, after all if he did not want to be carrying around Merlin's body when he had no clue as to which direction to head in.

Grimacing at his luck, Arthur was just wondering how to proceed; after all he did not want to be carrying around Merlin's body when he had no clue to which direction to head in.

Before he could decide, Arthur sensed rather than heard someone moving in the trees that were just behind him. He had his sword out, ready, in case it was someone who he would rather not be found by, especially in in the vulnerable position Merlin had left him in.

Although, he had mixed feelings, and didn't put his sword down, once he saw who it was that had found them.

Caledi was somewhat surprised to find the King of Camelot where she had been searching for his sister. But she still thought they might be someone lurking around. Someone had used magic after all and it was hardly the King himself. Maybe someone had lured the King out here.

Caledi didn't think he was the type of man who would attempt an escape on his own whilst leaving all his men behind.

Turning to the two men behind her she said, "Gallahad, you take the right, Galen you go left. Find out whatever you can. You know what to look for."

Once they left, Caledi moved towards the King, who once again stood pointing his sword at her. Exactly how she didn't want their next meeting to have gone. But at least the King looked somewhat softer in his stance and seemed more unsure of what was happening and less wanting to skewer her. Or so she hoped at least.

"What happened?" she asked, momentarily forgetting the threat of danger upon seeing a body hidden behind a tree, just out of sight. On a second glance she guessed it was the Kings' manservant. Moving closer, under the watchful eye of the king, she recognised the red neckerchief on the boy.

As the woman appeared out from the trees, Arthur felt his previous suspicions rising again. But as she too looked confused to find each other like this, he realised maybe this wasn't her doing. He guessed she was looking for someone, judging by the way the two men behind her had dispersed in different directions, with their swords out.

Arthur was a little hesitant at allowing her so close to Merlin but he knew she would not hurt him. Plus, he was unsure how to actually answer he, when he himself did not know what had happened.

"Nothing. He just ... well, he fell."

Seeing how high her eyebrows went up, clearly she didn't believe him, but she chose not to question him, instead asking, "What are you doing out here anyway?"

"Walking." Was his curt reply. Which was true. Technically. He was most certainly not going to tell this woman that they had been walking aimlessly. After all kings did not ever get lost.

Looking anywhere but her, Arthur did not see as her eyes flashed gold and her whispers went unheard in the cold wind of the morning.

Caledi inspected the boy in front of her, to find the cause of his injury. As if a fall could cause such a blow to the head. Checking over him, she was surprised to find she could sense her own magic. But how could that be? She had only sent her disarming spell at their attacker. Had this boy managed to get in the way somehow? But she knew that this could not be the reason, as she had trained very hard, many gruelling hours, shooting spells from various distances to make sure they did not stray and always hit the intended target, and not some unfortunate innocent.

The only other possible explanation was that this boy had been the one to trigger their alarms. But she knew she had sensed magic. Could this boy have magic? Was it possible that he wasn't aware of his own magic? Why else would he be serving in Camelot, personal manservant to the King himself? The only ones Caledi had ever known, who were not fully aware of their potential, were young children who were just coming into their powers.

Had this boy and other around him, just overlooked any small incidents of magic and passed them off as accidents of a clumsy fool? Even for servants, who no one ever took much notice of, this would not have been an easy feat. Maybe in the other outlying kingdoms, but certainly not Camelot.

Caledi had too many questions for this boy. She could feel her thoughts threatening to overflow in her mind, as she whispered the words to undo her spell. As she felt it work, she also sensed something else, something that suggested this boy was indeed much more than he appeared to be. He had magic and by the way it was growing and responding to her own, there was no way he did not know of it. No one could be ignorant of their magic when so much power resided in their very core, just begging to be unleashed.

She was startled from her thoughts, as the boy in question started coughing. The king took no time in coming over, a suspicious glint in his eyes directed at her, as if questioning how his servant was now suddenly conscious.

"What did you do?"

As if he couldn't guess!

"Oh just a little trick I picked up."

The King didn't give her response much thought, as he was more concerned for his servant, who had now stopped coughing, and was now sipping water from the water skin given to him by his master.

Caledi didn't have much time to question the propriety of the concern this King had for his servant, as she saw her men returning. Seeing their state, faces flushed and raggedy breathing, Caledi wondered how much ground the two had managed to cover between them.

"There's no one around now, but there are tracks circling around for quite a bit. We can't tell how many people they were made by. Quite a lot of the ground has been trampled on so there could ha-"

"Sorry, I think that was us."

Caledi and the others turned around to the servant who had been the one to speak, interrupting Gallahad's report.

"What do you mean?"

"We ... well; we sort of got a little lost."

"How lost were you? The camp is merely fifteen minutes' walk away. How lost were you, to have trampled across so much ground, and yet still not make it back?" Galen questioned. He was one of the newest members to their camp and therefore unaware of the lengths Caledi had gone to ensure the safety of their camp and everyone living there.

But Caledi was pleased that her spells had kept these two men out. She knew they worked, it wasn't the first time a threat had caused them to evacuate, but seeing the spell so effective against a boy with supposedly so much power was no small victory. Maybe she could hope after all, for protecting others in her company from Morgana. Speaking of Morgana, she had better send a message back to the camp.

"Galen, why don't you go on ahead. Tell everyone it was a false alarm."

Annoying and time consuming as it would be to get everyone settled back into the site, Caledi still thought it was good to have a little practise in case of a threat where the danger was very much real. If keeping her people on their toes meant they would be more alert and were able to respond quicker, Caledi would do as many practice drills as needed.

"So it's not Morgana then?"

"No Gallahad, it seems just two lost men were the cause of all this."

"But I thought you sensed ma-"

"Later."

Caledi interrupted before Gallahad could mention the magic. She didn't want to raise the idea of the servant having magic, at least not before she spoke to him, and definitely not before the king. There would be time for everything once they got back in their camp.

The last thing Merlin remembered was using his magic to try to find their way back, before somehow being thrown into a tree behind him and knocking him out. Judging by the pain pounding in his head, he could tell there would be a lump forming already. He couldn't even be sure how long he'd been out for, or how he had woken.

He had felt strange magic reviving him and then his own quickly responding. He wasn't sure what exactly had happened, all he knew that right now, as he sat there sipping water under Arthur's gaze, there were three other people whispering. One of them was probably responsible for healing him.

Hearing one of the men talk about the trampled ground around them, as if worried they were surrounded by some sort of enemy, Merlin confessed, "Sorry, I think that was us."

Taking in their response, Merlin was surprised to hear the camp was only fifteen minutes away. They had been walking in circles for over an hour! From the look in his face, this piece of news was doing nothing to improve Arthur's mood.

Before either of them could say anything to each other, words from the others' conversation caught their attention. They were talking about Morgana!

But what exactly was being said was lost on them as the pair were now whispering about something else. Finishing their conversation, they now turned towards him, asking, "Are you okay to walk back?"

His pain was the least of his worries. "I'm fine, thanks. What were you saying about Morgana?"

Please don't let her be anywhere near, Merlin thought to himself. The last thing they needed was an attack from their former friend, the shape that some of the knights were in; they would not be able to withstand another fight. He certainly didn't want a situation where he would be forced to reveal his magic. A scenario that was becoming more and more likely, the more often they found themselves in situations like their current one.

However, he hadn't sensed Morgana anywhere, when he cast his magic earlier, but then it wouldn't be the first time Morgana had succeeded in cloaking herself from him.

So Merlin was more than grateful, when he was told exactly what he had wanted to hear.

"No, no Morgana. Not today at least." Caledi sighed, looking around as if the witch in question was about to jump out from behind a tree. "You guys had managed to trigger some of our alarms. We thought it might have been Morgana."

"And why would she be here?" The accusation in the question was only too apparent.

Caledi, rolling her eyes, answered the King, "Not for the reasons you might think. If I was on her side, do you really think I would have helped you instead of letting her men attack you?"

"How do you know Morgana had sent them?"

"She sends out patrols regularly, looking for new recruits. We make it a point to be aware when she sends them out. Wouldn't want them crossing into our camp, now would we."

"Why not?"

Caledi was getting really tired of the questions being fired at her, but she tried to be patient. Otherwise this day, as long as it was already, could potentially become even more unbearable.

"Let's just say she doesn't take too kindly to people who refuse to help her or disagree with her views. And we don't want her attacking us next!"

As everyone remained silent, Caledi, ready to head back asked, "So if you're finished asking me your questions, maybe we can get a move on. It's going to take time to explain to everyone that it was just two men who couldn't ask for directions, which caused them to evacuate their site." With that, she started moving back into the direction of their camp.

As the woman in front of him turned away from him, instead of following her, Merlin opened his mouth ready to ask the question that had been burning in his mind for quite a while. "Actually, I do have a question ..."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I was just wondering ... what your name was?"

Clearly the same thought has been on Arthur's mind, as he too asked, in an obnoxious manner that was quintessentially his, "Yes, who exactly are you?"

Arthur had been feeling quite perplexed at this woman. She had magic, yet she wasn't evil, apparently didn't even agree with Morgana. Just who was she!

The woman in question just smiled, as if amused at their choice of question.

"I have had many names, not all of my choosing, but you can call me Caledi. Just Caledi. We don't have titles or ranks here. It's not the rank of someone's birth we judge out here in the forest, but rather by their actions, my lord."

The slight mocking tone in the title she used did not go unmissed. But Arthur chose not to draw attention to it, for what she had just said, was a belief he held dear to his own heart. A belief he had built the foundations of his Kingdom on. And it was her conviction behind her apt words, which made him finally decide that he could trust this woman, Caledi. Magic or no.

And though they were now well past formalities, Arthur held out his hand in a gesture of friendship. "Thank you for your help."

If Caledi was surprised, she didn't show it, as she returned his gesture, smiling as Arthur asked, "So which way are we going?"

Merlin was shocked at Arthur's behaviour, not only had he shaken hands with the woman but was now allowing her to lead them back. He wondered what went on in that royal head of his. But he supposed it was a good thing, accepting someone's good magic, a small step towards the future he hoped they would soon achieve.

As he happily followed the three in front of him back to the campsite, he didn't even remember that the name Caledi should have been familiar to him. If he had, he would not have been too happy if he had remembered all of the Great Dragon's warning concerning a woman named Caledi, whose destiny had been prophesised to be entwined with that of the Once and Future King, bringing a time of suffering and turmoil.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed it. Unfortunately, next update will be slower as I have a few deadlines to sort out first. There were only so many times I could neglect my work before it snowballed and threatened to suffocate me.**

**Drop me a review. Go on!**


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